By John Dobberstein, Editor
Broken Arrow and the entire Tulsa metro will be bracing for a blast of arctic air and snow this weekend that will usher in snow, dangerous wind chills and potentially hazardous travel.
Tonight the National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory for east-central and northeast Oklahoma lasting from 2 a.m. to 10 a.m. Friday. Up to an inch of snow is expected and will make the Friday morning commute potentially hazardous.
In Arkansas, for the latest road conditions call 1-800-245-1672 or go to idrivearkansas.com. In Oklahoma, for the latest road conditions call 1-844-465-4997 or go to okRoads.org.
A wind advisory is also in effect for much of western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday. Winds will be 15-25 mph with gusts up to 45 mph. This will lead to wind chills in the single
digits to near zero in the post-frontal airmass, NWS said.
Forecast details are still being fine tuned, but many places in eastern Oklahoma could get several inches of snow, depending on how storm tracks fall.
After a sunny but blustery day Saturday, the truly arctic air rushes in Saturday night with lows falling into the single digits.
The cold will continue Sunday and Monday with highs in the teens and gusty winds over 20 mph. Forecasters believe several inches of snow could fall in much of eastern Oklahoma during this period. Wind chills Sunday and Monday could be -10 to -20 degrees.
The city of Broken Arrow said Thursday it’s prepared for the possibility of rain, sleet, snow and wind come Friday.
The Streets Department will pre-treat all city bridges with brine before the end of business on Thursday, and 13 dump trucks will be fueled and loaded with salt in preparation for Friday’s weather event.
Broken Arrow Streets crews will begin treating the arterial roads with salt after the first shift of employees report for work at 12 a.m. Friday.
Once snow begins to accumulate, the crews will transition to plowing operations. After the arterial roads have been cleared of snow and the snowfall has ceased, all arterial roads will be treated again with salt to prevent refreezing.
The city’s Utilities Department crews are ready to address potential waterline breaks. Citizens are encouraged to call 918-258-3587 between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Friday or 918-259-8400 after hours to report water line breaks. All pumps and generators at the Water and Wastewater plants have been winterized and are also prepared for the extreme weather conditions.
Broken Arrow Police Department will follow normal patrol operations. Motorists are encouraged to plan travel accordingly to ensure they arrive at their destination safely.
Broken Arrow Fire Department will follow normal operations but will be prepared for hazardous road conditions with chains for apparatus and traction devices for firefighters’ boots.
City offices such as City Hall, community centers, Public Safety Complex, and Animal Shelter will serve as a warming shelter if someone needs to get out of the cold.
Tulsa International Airport also says it’s ready. Two different snow crews of 25 employees each will work 12-hour shifts to clear and treat runways, taxiways, roadways, parking lots and sidewalks, officials said Friday. Snow crews begin shifts 4 hours prior to when a storm is expected to begin, and end 4 hours after the snow is clear.
Passengers scheduled to fly out over the next few days should check their flight status with their airline before leaving for the airport.
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